Manufacture of aminotriazines



Patented Aug. 22,1939

UNITED STATES PATE 1*=....OFF1 E MANUFACTURE OF Amno'rnmznms Gustave Widmer, Base], and Willi Fisch, Rielien, near Basel, Switzerland, assignors to the firm Switzerland Society or Chemical Industry in Basle, Basel,

No Drawing. Application September 2a, 1938, Serial No. 232,228. In Switzerland October 5,

3Claims. romeo-24a) The present invention relates to the manufacture of 2.4.6-triamino-1.3.5-triazine (melamine) i'rom dicyandiamide in the presence of ammonia.

It is known that melamine is produced when a solution of dicyandiamide in liquid ammonia is heated for some hours at 100 0. (Franklin, Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 44, page 504, 1922). The yield obtained, however, is below 30 per cent. 1 As described in the copending application Ber. No. 217,627, the yield may be increased by using a smaller 'quantity of ammonia than is necessary for dissolving the dicyandiami'de at room temperature, Still higher yields and indeed up to 100 per cent are obtainl5 able as describedin the vcopending appli ation ,SenNo. 113,936 it about equal quantities'of di- 'cyandiamide .or cyanamide andliquid ammonia are treated together. at about 160 C. In the I latter. process a pressure of aboutA200 this. is

producedr'which necessitates -troubleso eam'i costly high pressure apparatus.

' This invention relates to a process in which yields up to 100. per cent may be obtained while "-avoiding the said high pressure. by inducing the conversion of dicyandiamide or cyanamide with jaddition oi liquid ammonia at a temperature not essentially above 100 C. and then completing the operation by distilling oil the ammonia'at a'higher temperature and under a pressure essentially below 200 atrns.

A preierred'procedure consists in first inducing the. conversion with addition. of liquidammonia at a temperature 01 80-1101 C. and-at a pressure of the order of about. 10450, preferably 20- 40, atms., and then distillingofi the ammonia while retaining this comparatively low' pressure with simultaneous or subsequent'raisingot the temperature of the mass. .By this rise of temperature in the presence of ammonia the reaction'is practically broughifto an end. Since the I lconversion of dicyandiamide or cyanamide to melamine is stronglyexothermic the height of r the final temperature is very much dependent on the degree of the conversion in the preliminary a reaction. If,.ior example, the mass is kept only the final temperature 01' about 300 C.-may=be produced. If, however, the greater part 01 the conversion has been brought about already .at- 100 0., for exampledn the'course of. 18 hours,' 5 the. final temperature due to the exothermic.

change is not so high. It may. indeed happen that the desired final temperature can be attained only by application of external heat. advantageously, however, the final reaction is conducted at 150-300. 0.,1: desired with applir cation of heat. In this case yields up to'100 per for a short time (up to'a few hours) at 100 0.

-ing 40 atms.

cent of melamine, calculated on the dicyandiamide or cyanamide used may be obtained-with- .out the necessity for-high pressure apparatus; It is, therefore, possible by this new process to obtain'the same'goodyield of melamine as is pro- I duced by the process of the copending application Ser. Nc. 113,936, at a working pressure which\ instead oiLbeing" about 200 atmsQis considerably lower, for example 20-40 atms.-

The following example illustrates the inven-' 10 tion:

Into an autoclave 01- 600 litres capacity and adjusted for a working pressure of 40 atms. and also provided with a powerful stirrer there are introduced under pressure 225 kilos oi dicyandil8 amide and 60 kilos of ammonia. The mass is then' heated for 4 hours while stirring, and with good-temperature control, at 100 (3., whereby a pressure of 25-30 atms. is produced. The greater part ofthe .ammonia is now distilled and the 20. autoclave is further heated to an external tem- 1. In the manufacture of melamine i'romxa cyan derivative of ammonia selected from the u group consisting oi dicyandiamide and mom.-

me with addition oi'liquid ammonia under pressure, the feature or conducting the reaction in two phasesthefirst-phase consisting in inducing the conversion in presence of the liquid m.-

monia at Ya temperature not substantially higher than: 100 C.'and the second phase consisting in completing the conversion at a higher-temperature while distilling off ammonia at such a rate that the pressure is kept substantially lower-than 200 atmospheres.

-2. In the manufacture according to claim 1, the feature of maintainingthe pressure through-- out the process at a range between 10 to at- I mospheres.

a. In me snure ture according. to earn, 1,

the featurelof inducing the conversion at a temperature between and C. and completing;

the conversion at a. temperature between'lw'and 300 C.

I cus'mvs wrmma. 

